Space A Travel
Encyclopedia
Uniformed Services Space-A Travel or Department of Defense Military Space-Available Travel is a means by which uniformed members of United States
services, reservist
s and retirees, United States Department of Defense
civilian personnel (under certain circumstances), and each of these groups' dependents are permitted to travel on aircraft under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense
when excess capability allows.
It is a privilege offered to United States
Uniformed Services members. Retired members are given the privilege in recognition of their career and because they are eligible for recall to active duty. The criteria for extending the privilege to other categories of passengers is their support to the mission being performed by Uniformed Services members and to the enhancement of active duty Service members' quality of life.
or pass
for the full duration of their Space A trip, and Space-A travel can not be used in conjunction with travel required by the service. Space A travel may not be used for personal financial gain or in connection with business enterprises or employment. Other nations' laws and policies, as well as U.S. foreign policy, may limit the ability to travel using Space-A.
Aside from members of the United States Marine Corps
, travelers do not have to be in uniform for their flights.
Each installation's passenger service center maintains the Space-A register. Each person signing up is placed on this register using two factors: category of travel, and signup date.
Based on status (active duty military, retired military, emergency traveler, etc.), Space-A Travel applicants are assigned a category of travel from 1 to 6, which categorizes their priority of movement, 1 being the highest priority. Thus, an applicant with priority 1 will gain a place on an available aircraft over an applicant with priority 4, for example.
Just prior to time-of-flight, the numbers of available seats is determined. After sorting the signup register by priority of travel and signup date, the passenger terminal personnel follow a selection procedure. If there is sufficient seating for everyone desiring a seat, then everyone boards; otherwise, a cutoff point is determined.
The majority of flights that passengers take occur on: C-5, C-17, C-130, KC-10, and KC-135 aircraft.
There are also Internet forums where users exchange Space-A travel tips. One such forum's members (pepperd.com) place traditional red paisley bandanas on their luggage while Space-Aing, in order to identify each other.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
services, reservist
Reservist
A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is usually a former active-duty member of the armed...
s and retirees, United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
civilian personnel (under certain circumstances), and each of these groups' dependents are permitted to travel on aircraft under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
when excess capability allows.
Background
Space available travel is a privilege that derives, in part, from United States Code, title 10, section 4744, which states, "officers and members of the Military Departments, and their families, when space is available, may be transported on vessels operated by any military transport agency of the Department of Defense". Space available travel is defined as "travel aboard DoD owned or controlled aircraft and occurs when aircraft are not fully booked with passengers traveling under orders".It is a privilege offered to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Uniformed Services members. Retired members are given the privilege in recognition of their career and because they are eligible for recall to active duty. The criteria for extending the privilege to other categories of passengers is their support to the mission being performed by Uniformed Services members and to the enhancement of active duty Service members' quality of life.
Application
The branches of service who receive this are:- United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
- United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
- United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
- United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
- United States Public Health ServiceUnited States Public Health ServiceThe Public Health Service Act of 1944 structured the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The PHS comprises all Agency Divisions of Health and...
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
Guidelines
There are rules and guidelines which apply to such travel. Uniformed personnel may only travel Space-A while on leaveLeave (U.S. military)
In the United States Military, leave is permission to be away from one's unit for a specific period of time.- Entitlement :Under normal circumstance, all personnel are granted 30 days of leave per year. This time is usually used for vacations and other extended time periods away from the service...
or pass
Pass (United States military)
A pass is permission to be away from one's military unit for a limited period of time. Time away on a pass is not counted against leave, the annual allotment of days off from duty.-Types of passes:...
for the full duration of their Space A trip, and Space-A travel can not be used in conjunction with travel required by the service. Space A travel may not be used for personal financial gain or in connection with business enterprises or employment. Other nations' laws and policies, as well as U.S. foreign policy, may limit the ability to travel using Space-A.
Aside from members of the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, travelers do not have to be in uniform for their flights.
Basic process
Passengers wanting to travel using DoD military space available travel are required to sign up with a military installation and are then placed on a locally-managed Space A register. The registration process varies depending on the installation, but most installations allow signups via electronic mail, fax, or postal mail. Some installations have created their own web-based sign-up forms. There is also a private (at time of writing: free) website which enables signing up at multiple installations.Each installation's passenger service center maintains the Space-A register. Each person signing up is placed on this register using two factors: category of travel, and signup date.
Based on status (active duty military, retired military, emergency traveler, etc.), Space-A Travel applicants are assigned a category of travel from 1 to 6, which categorizes their priority of movement, 1 being the highest priority. Thus, an applicant with priority 1 will gain a place on an available aircraft over an applicant with priority 4, for example.
Just prior to time-of-flight, the numbers of available seats is determined. After sorting the signup register by priority of travel and signup date, the passenger terminal personnel follow a selection procedure. If there is sufficient seating for everyone desiring a seat, then everyone boards; otherwise, a cutoff point is determined.
Aircraft generally allowing for DoD Space-A travel
| C-5 Galaxy C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many... |
|
| C-12 Huron C-12 Huron The C-12 Huron is the military designation for a series of twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air and Beechcraft 1900. C-12 variants are used by the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps... |
based on the Beechcraft Super King Air Beechcraft Super King Air The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series... business aircraft |
| C-17 Globemaster III C-17 Globemaster III The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout... |
|
| C-20 Gulfstream III C-20 Gulfstream III The Gulfstream III, a business jet produced by Gulfstream Aerospace, is an an improved variant of the Grumman Gulfstream II.-Design and development:... |
based on the Gulfstream III and Gulfstream IV Gulfstream IV The Gulfstream IV and derivatives are a family of twin-jet aircraft, mainly for private or business use. The aircraft was designed and built by Gulfstream Aerospace, a General Dynamics company based in Savannah, Georgia, United States from 1985 until 2003.-Design and development:Gulfstream, in... business jets |
| C-21 Learjet | based on the Learjet 35A business jet |
| C-22B | based on the Boeing 727 Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced... passenger jet |
| VC-25A Boeing VC-25 The Boeing VC-25 is the designation of a United States Air Force passenger transportation aircraft, a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner. The A-model is the only variant of the VC-25.... |
based on the Boeing 747-200 passenger jet |
| C-32 | based on the Boeing 757 Boeing 757 The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration... passenger jet; used as Air Force Two |
| UC-35 Citation V Cessna Citation The Cessna Citation is a marketing name used by Cessna for its line of business jets. Rather than one particular model of aircraft, the name applies to several "families" of turbofan-powered aircraft that have been produced over the years... |
based on the Cessna Citation V Cessna Citation The Cessna Citation is a marketing name used by Cessna for its line of business jets. Rather than one particular model of aircraft, the name applies to several "families" of turbofan-powered aircraft that have been produced over the years... business jet |
| C-37 Gulfstream V | based on the Gulfstream V Gulfstream V The Gulfstream V is a business jet aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace. It is also used by the US military under the designation C-37A. The G500 and G550 are improved versions which are currently in production... business jet |
| C-38 Courier | based on the IAI Astra IAI Astra |-See also:-External links:... business jet |
| C-40 Clipper C-40 Clipper -See also:-External links:* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* *... |
based on the Boeing 737 Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers... passenger jet |
| C-130 Hercules C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport... |
|
| C-135 Stratolifter C-135 Stratolifter |-See also:-External links:* at Globalsecurity.org... |
derived from Boeing 367-80 Boeing 367-80 The Boeing 367-80, or "Dash 80" as it was called within Boeing, is an American prototype jet transport built to demonstrate the advantages of jet aircraft for passenger transport over piston-engine airliners.... prototype jet (the basis for the Boeing 707 Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on... passenger jet) |
| KC-10 Extender KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is the military adaptation of the three-engined DC-10 airliner for the United States Air Force . The KC-10 incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of transport and aerial refueling. It was developed to supplement the KC-135 Stratotanker... |
based on the civilian DC-10-30 airliner |
| KC-135 Stratotanker KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker... |
The majority of flights that passengers take occur on: C-5, C-17, C-130, KC-10, and KC-135 aircraft.
Space-required versus space-available
Space A travel is not without its pitfalls. Unlike traditional commercial air traffic, military flights are not always assigned predictable takeoff times. Many factors go into planning a military flight, with space-required cargo and passengers forming the basis of planning. There is no consideration given to potential Space-A travelers during the planning process.Non-governmental support for Space-A
The Space A traveler might meet abrupt, sometimes even in-flight, changes in travel. This need for pre-planning has given rise to a small industry surrounding such travel. Non-governmental enterprises (for the most part, publishers) produce products, primarily books and maps, which provide travelers with information regarding their Space A benefit.There are also Internet forums where users exchange Space-A travel tips. One such forum's members (pepperd.com) place traditional red paisley bandanas on their luggage while Space-Aing, in order to identify each other.
Sources
- DoD policy - Air Transportation Eligibility retrieved on November 27, 2007
External links
- CONUS Space-A Travel Location Listing Private and current web-based list of CONUS Space-A Terminals - retrieved on March 16, 2008 (Current)
- Europe Space-A Travel Location Listing Private and current web-based list of European Region Space-A Terminals - retrieved on March 16, 2008 (Current)
- Pacific Space-A Travel Location Listing Private and current web-based list of Pacific Region Space-A Terminals - retrieved on March 16, 2008 (Current)
- Pepperd.com - Private Space A discussion bulletin board - retrieved on November 27, 2007 (Current)
- Takeahop.com/.org/.net - Private, non-commercial method for Space A registration - retrieved on November 28, 2011 (Current)
- About.com - Military Space A Travel Information and Resources - retrieved on August 28, 2007 (Contains partially outdated references)
- MilitaryHops.com - Private website with Space A references - retrieved on November 5, 2007 (Current)
- Spacea.net on Facebook - Latest breaking news in the Space Available Travel world and forum for answering he occasional Space-A question
Further reading
- SpaceA.net John D’s Military Space-A Travel Pages - Private, Non-commercial Space A information source
- Space-A Travel Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - The ultimate online source for answers about Space-A Travel
- Space-A News Articles Past and current News Articles about Military Space-A Travel - Private, Non-commercial Space A information source